Strictly Business: Hooded Pleasures, Book 1 (9 page)

He wanted nothing else other than to lick the beads of moisture from her neck and keep on going.

Instead, he’d bitten down on a chocolate bar.

Alex sighed and waited to hear the car engine start up. There was no way he was going to do anything before she was gone. He wouldn’t put it past her to come back and check on him just for the sheer torture of it.

He grabbed his underwear and covered his hand before taking hold of his cock again. Alex gasped, almost going over the edge by the simple contact.

Not yet.

An engine revving signaled Kate’s departure.

His mind raced, dragging the last few minutes into an alternate reality.

He still had the collar on.

Kate pulled the blanket off and tossed it on the floor. Slowly, she removed her boots, carefully placing them to one side and giving him a full unrestricted view of those beautiful, delicious legs.

She stood up from the couch and faced him, her hands on her hips.

“I think it’s time for this to come off.” She gestured at the black corset and stockings. “I’m finding it rather restrictive for what I want to do. And have done to me.”

“May I remove it for you, Mistress?”

She nodded with a sultry smirk.

He hesitated. “I’ll have to touch you.” Now it was his turn to grin. “May I touch you, Mistress?”

“I hope so. I think it’s time to let you off the leash. Let’s see how you can pleasure me.” One eyebrow rose. “I expect nothing but your best.”

“And you’ll get it,” he promised.

“Good.” Kate smiled. “Let’s see what you have. And if you’re good, I’ll consider giving you my own private collar.”

“Thank you, Mistress.” Alex hesitated, waiting for her final gesture to release him, let him fulfill his final goal.

The answering nod launched him at her.

He pulled Kate into his arms, peppering her face with kisses as his hands roamed free over her body. The leather-and-lace corset took only a few seconds to undo with the tiny hooks gouging his fingers, but he didn’t care. He had to have her and have her now.

He growled as he pulled it open and fell on her exposed breast, sucking the bare nipple with unabashed hunger.

Kate gasped and arched back, her creamy white skin hot to his touch. She latched on to his short hair, tugging and pulling.

As he feasted on her, his hands moved lower to play with the garters, the fastenings providing only a moment of distraction. He snapped the left one free with a deft twist of his fingers.

Alex brought his head up and kissed her hard as he pulled Kate’s left leg up and began rolling the stocking down that delicious limb teasing him for the past hour. The slender muscles twitched as he stroked her bare thigh, moving south to caress her ankle. The thin nylon bunched under his fingers as he slid his other hand under her black thong and tore it off, giving him total access.

A quick twist and a flip, and she was horizontal on the couch, panting as he gazed down at her. She smiled, keeping a tight grip on the back of his neck.

He undid the second garter and kissed her again, hard.

He couldn’t wait any longer.

Alex settled himself between her thighs and slid home, gasping as he sank into the wet heat. His hands reached around to the small of her back and pulled her up against him, her answering mews driving him onward.

The car’s roar as it raced onto the street almost matched his own as a second later, he came hard and almost painfully, pumping into his briefs with unrestrained need.

Alex knelt on the floor in exhaustion, arms sore and feeling like he’d run a marathon. He glanced over at the leather collar and felt it on his neck again, felt recent memories wash over him.

Wow.

He rolled onto his back and groaned, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to focus.

One week.

He had to wait a whole week before seeing her again.

Insanity.

But the good type.

The accident had been cleared off the highway, allowing Kate an unobstructed drive home.

If only her mind was as clear as the road.

Kate squirmed in the seat, trying to tamp down her arousal. Her foot pressed on the gas pedal a bit more, pushing the speed limit before her mind took control and forced her to ease up.

The last thing she needed was to be pulled over by an enthusiastic cop looking to meet his ticket quota. The raincoat hid her outfit well, but there was always the chance of being asked to get out of the car, and that would lead to questions, the wrong type of questions if he got curious about her clothing.

There were some things you didn’t want to explain. Or even try.

Legal or not, she didn’t need to begin discussing bondage to a policeman.

At least not without getting paid.

The sun beat down on the lake as she cruised along Lakeshore Boulevard. Tourists sauntered along the cement paths, buying ice cream and hot dogs from the street vendors looking to grab the last bits of summer profit.

A couple snuggled into each other, propped up against a tree. He nuzzled into her neck, whispering as she giggled and stroked his back, sliding her hands up under his shirt.

Kate caught herself rubbing her thighs together as she pulled into her parking lot.

Damn. Got me going bad.

The arousal wasn’t unwelcome and unexpected. It was an accepted perk of the job and almost required. If you didn’t feel some emotional connection during the scene, the sub wouldn’t and the visit would disintegrate into a basic robotic routine of spank and flog, tweak and tease, and the client would be unhappy and not know why.

That wasn’t her job. She was getting paid to bring fantasies to life.

Her getting off was just a side effect.

It took a few minutes to gain control, but finally Kate threw the car door open, confident in her ability to deny herself.

I need a drink.

She slung the duffle bag over one shoulder and headed for the elevator, pushing her mind onto distractions. Alex was a sweet thing, but she had a deadline coming up on some art commissions.

She didn’t have the time to think about him more than any other client. Move on to her next assignment, her next sub looking for some pleasure tinged with pain. A chance for him to move out of his reality, to let her take charge of his life for a short time.

Her mental appointment book flipped open to remind her she had Brian tomorrow.

As the elevator doors closed, Kate made a note to check on her nipple clamps.

Brian was a problem—he’d asked for the clamps but had already safe-worded out twice within seconds of her placing them on him. She’d moved from her regular ones down to the softer, less-tension beginner-level ones, but Brian still hadn’t been able to handle them, and he wasn’t ready to admit defeat. He insisted on including them and then derailing the sessions when he safe-worded out.

Kate suspected he’d never be able to take them. That in itself wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; everyone had their weak spots.

The problem was that they were both getting frustrated, and that wasn’t a good thing.

Kate considered handing him off to Julie, who had more patience than she did at these things. She’d talk it over with Brian tomorrow, depending on how things went, and see if he agreed about being reassigned.

It wouldn’t be difficult—give her one less client. She could afford the loss, and it’d be the right thing to do.

Hooded Pleasures understood some pairings didn’t work out in the long term. If you couldn’t give the client what he needed, you passed him on to someone who could.

A flash of heat shot down her spine as she recalled the last few hours.

She’d never give up Alex.

Unless he asks
, the inevitable nag said.
Or finds someone he likes better. Remember, he’s already got the club membership. As soon as he gets his nerve up—

Kate slapped the mental imp down as she unlocked her front door and walked in. She dumped the bag of toys in its usual place and headed for the computer to turn it on and try to turn off her mind.

And her desire.

The well-worn track pants and ragged T-shirt lay on the bed where she’d placed them before leaving, part of her pre-meeting preparation. Having them ready and on hand helped her transition back down from the emotional high of an appointment, the simple clothing a welcome change after the leather and lace.

Kate stripped off her clothing, feeling the arousal built up from visiting Alex start to finally wane.

Flog ’em and leave ’em. The story of a paid Dominatrix.

Kate shrugged on the shirt and pants, enjoying the softness on her bare skin. She padded through to the kitchen and started a new pot of coffee, choosing a lovely hazelnut blend to reward herself for a job well done. A handful of cookies, and she was ready to settle at her art desk to get some work done.

She couldn’t shake off the last remnants of the appointment, Alex’s eyes burning a hole in her mental armor as she recalled how he’d looked coming down off the hook.

Gorgeous.

She reached for the coffeepot, letting the heat singe her fingers and bring her out of that train of thought.

Alex was a client.

Alex was—

Different.

She’d never felt this sort of connection before, not with any of her other clients.

Not since—

Kate grabbed at the memory, slapped it silly and pushed it into a mental box at the back of her mind.

Enough of that.

There would come a time when he’d get his nerve up to go to the club, and she’d be out the door with a smile and a wave of her hand.

Kate poured herself a mug of coffee and headed for the living room, where she’d find her sketchpad and her computer, both waiting for her attention.

Between working on her art commissions and a few hours of meaningless carnage online, she should be able to detox herself from those lovely blue eyes, that firm body craving and needing her touch.

Until the next time.

She suppressed a shiver and sipped her coffee.

It’d taken the better part of an hour for him to get enough energy to climb into the tub, but he’d managed it, tipping most of a box of Epsom salts into the hot water to help the muscle aches. Inspection of his back via a full-length mirror showed only reddened and raised skin, nothing like what he’d worried about finding.

He felt like he’d run a marathon when the truth was he’d only moved from the ground floor to the bathroom upstairs.

It was sort of embarrassing.

Alex made a mental note to increase his workouts.

The water lapped at the edge of the tub as he reached for an energy drink he’d left here for this exact purpose. He suspected he’d need a hot soak after his first appointment.

He’d done his research. Alex knew what the aftereffects should be, what he had to worry about and prepare for after Kate’s visit. He knew she’d take care of him. He knew everything that was going to happen to him.

But he never knew or expected it’d be so—

Intense.

Overwhelming.

Liberating.

He drained most of the drink, the revelation washing over him.

Yeah. That.

“Kate.”

Alex shocked himself by saying it aloud, the single word echoing off the bathroom walls.

Kate.

He started to get hard again at the recent memories.

No
, Alex berated himself silently.
That’s enough for now.

He rolled his head back against the cold ceramic tiles and sighed.

For now.

After an hour, he forced himself out of the cold water and got dressed, wincing slightly. The bath had done a lot to soothe his aching muscles, but there was only so much it could do.

His mind laid out the simple math as he pulled on the bathrobe and a pair of sweatpants.

Work equals money equals another session.

With Kate.

The thought of Kate visiting again had him racing for his desk, refreshed by another energy drink and a series of power bars.

Work equals money equals another session with Kate.

He wondered if putting the equation up as his screensaver would be a little too daring.

Chapter Six

Three hours later, Alex tapped on the keyboard, grinning widely. This particular bit of code had been nagging him for days, haunting his dreams and basically being all-around annoying.

But it was his now. His to control and command.

A few more keystrokes, and it was done.

“Yeah,” he shouted, thrusting his hands into the air.

Ouch.

He brought his arms down gingerly, feeling the burn.

Oh yeah.

In a flash, he was back against the door with his arms in the air, waiting and wanting to feel the next stroke.

Alex massaged his arms and tried not to look at the calendar.

Six more days.

He’d already plowed through more work in the past few hours than he had in days. It was like he’d been reborn, the enthusiasm for his work almost overwhelming.

The phone rang, and he studied the caller ID before picking it up, instinctively searching for a reason to avoid answering it. He was on a roll and didn’t want to give it up.

The numbers resolved themselves on the display.

His sister.

He tapped the Connect button.

“Hey.” Alex reached for his drink and frowned at finding the can empty. “What’s up?”

“Getting ready to toss a few steaks on the grill for dinner. You been up to anything?”

Alex resisted the urge to look over at the closet. The door, specifically.

A shiver crept down his spine.

He was close to his sister, but some things you didn’t share.

“Nothing. Just working.”

“As usual.” Jane sighed. “I know you told Mike you weren’t interested in any blind dates, but—”

“I’m good.” Alex spun around in the chair and crushed the empty can in one hand. “I’m good.”

He closed his eyes and tried not to think of Kate.

Which, of course, immediately projected her face in his mind’s eye. She smiled at him and said—

“I know you’re full of crap, but I’ll let it pass for now. You need someone for the charity auction. I’m not going to deal with the heat I got last year by having you single and wandering around. You know how many offers I had to ‘take you off my hands’?”

Alex grunted, trying to remember what she was talking about.

“The auction.” Jane was too familiar with his avoidance techniques. “You know, the special one we help sponsor and attend ever year? For Mom and Dad?” Her voice shifted into mother mode, battering his ears. “You do have it marked on your calendar, right?”

“Yes.” Alex dropped the can in the garbage container and reached for a red pen and the tiny desk calendar sitting on the end of his desk. “I’ve had it marked for weeks.” He scratched the pen’s edge against the thin paper, trying to get it to work.

“Bullshit. But I appreciate the effort.” Jane laughed. “Just dress nice. All you have to do is show up. I’ve already done the legwork and made the arrangements as usual. The four of us—”

“Four?”

“Me and Mike, you and Monica. You remember Monica? From the wedding?”

He remembered
a
Monica. Bridesmaid, lovely until she got drunk, then she’d been downright annoying to be around. Horny and plastered, she’d kept tugging at his pants until he’d stuffed her in a cab and sent her home before someone else took her up on her offer.

Chivalry might not be dead, but obviously it liked to come back to bite you on the ass.

Alex resisted the urge to smash his head on the keyboard.

It’d ruin the code.

“I don’t need a blind date. It’s a charity event, for God’s sake. No one—”

“Humor me.” Jane’s tone shifted from playful to serious. “You haven’t gone out on a date for eons, at least not that I know of. You’ve been slaving over your desk working on your various projects.”

Alex’s inner vision flashed to an image of him bent over the desk with Kate behind him.

Oh. My.

He could email that scenario to Hooded Pleasures right now.

“Are you listening to me?” Jane’s voice cut across the sensual daydream. “Just be there. Two months from yesterday, Saturday night to be exact. Do not forget. Mark it on your calendar; program it into your cell phone, tattoo it on your arm, whatever you need to do to remember it.”

“Why are you hassling me so far ahead of time?” He shifted in his chair, uncomfortable between the daydream and talking to his only living relative. “Two months from now? Really?”

Jane laughed. “Because I know you too well, little brother. You’ll lock yourself into some deadline or some impossible project and wriggle out of this like you do with everything else.”

He couldn’t disagree with her. With her wedding a year ago, he’d managed to avoid the rehearsal dinner and the bachelor party, along with ducking out early from the reception. The excuse had been a deadline for the last major expansion of
Wild West Shootout III
. The deadline had been real, but he had been well ahead of schedule and could have easily attended if he’d wanted to.

It wasn’t anything personal. He loved his sister, and the man she’d chosen to marry was a good guy who loved video games, football, and understood the connection Jane had with Alex. When she’d introduced Mike as a financial adviser she’d met while dealing with their trust funds, he had taken to him right away, glad to see Jane happy after all the losses they’d suffered together. Five years without their parents had brought them closer together as siblings, but there was only so much he was willing to suffer for his sister.

He just didn’t get along with Jane’s or Mike’s friends. They were good people, but they tended to want to talk nothing but stock investments and all that. They’d graduated with business degrees, and he’d gone into computers and programming, game design and creation.

Nice friends, but he had about as much in common with them as he did with any group of random people snatched off the street.

“You’ve got no excuse not to be available for this. Be there. Please,” Jane said. “It’s for charity. We need to make an appearance and interact with the people, not show and go.” She paused. “Don’t even think about driving—I don’t want to hear about your car dying at the last minute. We’ll pick you up and drop you off, so you’ll stay a decent amount of time.” Jane sighed. “People noticed you left early last year, and I got the third-degree from the Board of Directors as to why you didn’t hang around until the checks got collected.”

A worm of guilt wriggled through his mind. Jane had taken over the job of volunteering and helping manage the charity events their parents had supported, long past when it would have been tactful to drop them. This one for research into Alzheimer’s hit close to home, having attacked both parents and hastening their deaths long before their time. The donated items went for a good amount, and it’d become a popular networking meet for businessmen, growing each year thanks to Jane’s hard work.

The least he could do was suffer through a few hours with a lovely lady on his arm.

“I’ll be there. Promise.” He flipped ahead two pages and made a hard mark on the calendar. “I’ve got to get back to work. On a roll and don’t want to stop.”

“Okay, bro. Love you.” She smacked her lips. “Later.”

“Back atcha.” He cut the connection and turned back to the glowing letters on the screen.

Bent over the desk.

His focus splintered into a thousand shards, each reflecting Kate’s face.

Damn.

He turned the pages back to the current month and glanced again at the calendar.

Six more days.

Double damn.

Kate pursed her lips as she held out the sketchpad at arm’s length, studying the black-and-white image. It’d taken her three days to get it to this point, which was excellent considering she’d started it not long after her first appointment with Alex.

Monday had been a bit rough but successful in its own way. Brian agreed with her analysis, and they’d called the office together to change up his dance card.

Julie, thankfully, had been free and had come on over to meet Brian. The minute she walked in the door, Kate knew she’d made the right decision.

Brian couldn’t take his eyes off Julie. He bid a teary good-bye to Kate, apologizing for his failure. Both women reassured him it wasn’t anyone’s fault and certainly not his.

Kate walked out, leaving the two together. She was sure Julie had taken the situation in hand and Brian was well on his way to a happier experience.

A day later, an email from Julie routed via Tracy’s desk thanked Kate for the opportunity and assured her Brian was in safe hands.

Kate wasn’t upset at losing him.

What she was upset about was not getting the damned proportions on this project right until a day later with plenty of erasing and cursing. With an action shot like this, it was important to get it right, get it perfect, get everything and everyone in the right place. One little bit out of sync, and the entire picture wouldn’t work.

She admired the final product, allowing herself a satisfied smile.

The elf swung out of the tree and down on the oblivious ogre, battle-ax at the ready. It was as if someone had been there with a camera, capturing the second before the imminent carnage.

Excellent.

A little more shading on the tree, and it’d be perfect and ready for her client. He’d asked for a depiction of his favorite role-playing character in this type of encounter. It’d taken a bit of effort to make the ax work for the elf since most elves weren’t drawn with that particular weapon, but this image leapt off the page.

She was glad for the chance to get back to pencil and paper instead of fumbling with the computer and the various art programs she had on file. She’d had plenty of compliments on her art skills in producing book covers for authors and beautiful images for people wanting a special present for a special person, but Kate liked to get her hands dirty.

She loved the touch, the feel of the pencil edge against the paper. The friction, the abrasion.

And speaking of—

Kate allowed herself a grin, remembering Nathan, her client for the day.

It’d been an interesting morning.

Nathan worked nights as a policeman and always scheduled his appointments for first thing in the morning when he got off duty. He loved to play in uniform, and she was the right woman to put him in his place, usually role-playing a new partner taking charge of the rookie cop and showing him the ropes, so to speak.

She had no doubt if his superiors knew his love of handcuffs extended far beyond slapping them on the bad guys, it would affect his career.

But she knew how to keep a secret, and so did Hooded Pleasures. For the last six months, he’d enjoyed her services without fear of anyone finding out. It had to be tough on a cop’s salary, but it helped that Wendy and Evan had a long-standing agreement to give discounts to first responders and the military.

As they saw it, these were the people who needed their help the most. There were people who would never be comfortable going to a club, afraid they’d be found out and their careers smashed to bits.

For them, Hooded Pleasures was perfect. And Nathan was a lovely client, one she enjoyed visiting.

He’d been a welcome diversion from thinking about her newest project.

Alex.

She couldn’t stop imagining new scenarios, new scenes to keep him entertained. A recent email had notified her of his suggestions, most of them aligning with hers.

Maybe Wendy was right—all she needed was a change. A challenge to keep her fresh, keep her dominant side intrigued.

Kate studied the image one last time.

Enough.

There was always a point at which she had to walk away from a creation. Another swipe of the pencil, another dab of ink and it’d be past the perfection she strived for. It was hard, but there was always another blank page waiting for her.

She placed the sketchpad on a stand and reached for her digital camera to send a picture of the finished work to her customer. If Sam liked it, she’d be able to deliver it to him in a few days after she found the proper frame for it. A good matte and frame would bring the image to life.

Her attention skittered over to Alex again as she snapped pictures with the camera. Another few days, and he’d be back under her thumb again, ready to do whatever she said.

He was a good man. A natural submissive.

She wasn’t interested in someone who wanted to play mind games. She wanted to go in, have her fun and give pleasure to the other person and leave.

No commitments, no screwing with her mind.

Unlike Carl.

The unpleasant memory had her scowling at the image.

Fucker.

The phone rang, bringing her out of her reminiscing before it got too toxic.

She snatched it up like a drowning woman grabbing a life preserver.

“Hello?”

If this was a telemarketer, he was about to get a full earful of—

“Kate?”

She couldn’t help smiling at the sound of her best and oldest friend’s voice. The shadows in her mind vanished. “Who did you expect to answer?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Some hot dude you’ve been keeping locked up in your bedroom?”

From your lips—

“I’ve got him on a long leash, scrubbing my toilet. What’s up?”

Ann laughed. “Just checking in on my sweetie. You still pining over that asshole, or you ready to go out in the real world and find someone new?”

Kate chewed on the edge of her pencil. “Haven’t thought about him in days.”

She knew it was a lie and knew Ann would know it was a lie.

When Carl had left, she’d been a wreck for two weeks, drinking herself into a stupor. It’d only been Ann’s constant visits with food and a shoulder to cry on that had helped her recover without serious medical intervention. A year later, and she still couldn’t thank her friend enough.

“Good. I was thinking about us getting together for dinner.”

“You and me, or you, me, Eric and a to-be-named-later blind date?”

“You wound me,” Ann replied. “Just the two of us. I don’t think you’re desperate enough to be asking me to set you up. Besides, the guys we know are a little too vanilla for your tastes.”